Osun State University (UNIOSUN) is to hold the 9th convocation for 1,946 graduates of the 2018/2019 academic session online. The university disclosed that 95 percent of the graduating students have registered to be part of the convocation that will be held virtually on September 21. The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Labode Popoola, addressing reporters yesterday at Olagunsoye Oyinlola Auditorium on the main campus of the university in Osogbo, handed over the convocation kits to a courier service to deliver to the graduating students, to ensure proper virtual convocation.
He said instead of the institution to complain about the new norm brought by the Coronavirus pandemic, it was ready to conduct the first-ever virtual convocation in the history of public universities in Nigeria.
“This virtual convocation will be our 9th convocation. The convocation lecture will be delivered by Prof. Jeffrey D. Sachs, a Professor of Economics, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, New York, USA, and Special Adviser to the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We are looking forward to a thought-provoking lecture on the topic: ‘The New Normal: Challenges and Opportunities for Tertiary Education,” he said
He said the total graduate output of the University for the 9th Convocation was 1,946.
“These graduating students will be conferred with first degrees and 52 with higher degrees and diplomas. Of this number, 35 got first-class degrees, representing 1.79% of the total number of graduating students. Six hundred and three made second class (upper), 972 got second class lower, 274 made third class, while only 10 will be awarded the pass degree.
“I will hand over 1,946 convocation kits to the courier service to deliver them to the doorsteps of our graduating students to enable them to participate in the first of its kind 9th convocation of the university virtually from their locations. Each kit has five items, they include the well-laundered convocation gown with cap, convocation brochure, scroll, and a plaque customized for each graduating student as souvenir and memorabilia from the Osun State University,” Popoola said.
